Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, Paris Peace Conference: Proceedings, Volume III

CFM Files

United States Delegation Journal

October 1, 1946, 10 a.m.

USDel (PC) (Journal) 58

The U.K. Delegate presented the interpretation of the four drafting powers of the term “demilitarization”.³⁴ This proposal was adopted by the Commission 18 to 2 with 1 abstention, and the interpretation will be sent as a reply to the Political and Territorial Commission for Italy. The U.K. Delegate made a proposal concerning mine-sweeping for the Finnish treaty similar to the proposal made for the Italian treaty. This proposal was adopted.³⁵ The Finnish and Hungarian treaties were adopted definitively without any further amendment.

Admiral Manola (Yugoslavia) presented an amendment to the majority report on the Greek amendment (CP Gen Doc 1.J.21) to Article 9 of the Bulgarian treaty. The U.K. and U.S. Delegations objected to this proposal on the grounds that it was out of order. The U.S. Delegation maintained that there was no basis for discussion, while General Dove (U.K.) thought that it might be in order to discuss the amendment when the majority and minority reports were before the Commission. The amendment will be discussed when the reports are before the Commission.³⁶

34. The interpretation was rendered in response to a request decided upon by the Political and Territorial Commission for Italy at its 28th Meeting, September 21; for the United States Delegation Journal account of that meeting, see p. 501. The interpretation was as follows:

    “1. The Military Commission considers that for the purpose of this Treaty the term ‘demilitarization’ shall be deemed to prohibit, in the territory and territorial waters concerned, all naval, military and military air installations, fortifications and their armaments; artificial military, naval and air obstacles; the basing or the permanent or temporary stationing of military, natal and military air units; military training in any form; and the production of war materials. This does not prohibit internal security personnel restricted in number to meeting tasks of an internal character and equipped with weapons which can be carried and operated by one person, and the necessary military training for such personnel.”

    The Four Powers recommended that the same term, “demilitarization,” be used in articles 11, 12, and 42 of the Italian Treaty; that the definition be inserted in Annex 5 (D); and that article 42 be revised by deleting the word “completely,” and by adding the note “For the definition of the term ‘demilitarization’ see Annex 5 (D).” (CFM Files). The Political and Territorial Commission for Italy dealt further with this matter at its 38th Meeting, October 1; for the United States Delegation Journal account of that meeting, see p. 608.

35. The unanimous adoption of the proposal created a new article, 13 A; for text, see C.P.(Plen) Doc. 21, October 5, Report of the Military Commission on the Draft Peace Treaty for Finland, vol. iv, p. 589.
36. The amendment proposed to reduce the restrictions placed upon Bulgaria by the text of article 9 supported by the majority. General Balmer questioned the right of Yugoslavia to propose such an amendment since it was a signatory to the minority report. The Commission did not give the amendment subsequent formal consideration. (CFM Files: United States Delegation Minutes). See also C.P.(Plen) Doc. 19, October 7, Report of the Military Commission on the Bulgarian treaty, ibid., p. 517.